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Oberstar secures Cass County hospital designation
The House of Representatives Wednesday approved a comprehensive health care bill bringing emergency medical care closer to the residents of northern Cass County.
Congressman Jim Oberstar was able to secure a special provision in the Children's Health and Medical Protection Act of 2007 to allow the Ah-Gwah-Ching medical campus in Walker to be designated as a critical access hospital.
"This is a giant step in improving medical care for our citizens," said Jim Dowson, chairman of the Cass County Board. "It's exciting to see our congressional delegation focus on such an important local issue."
Last year, the Cass County Health Task Force worked with state, county and local officials to enact state legislation to transform the Ah-Gwah-Ching long-term care facility into an integrated medical campus that would be anchored by a 25-bed hospital. However, under current federal law, a critical access hospital must be located at least 35 miles from the nearest hospital, and the Ah-Gwah-Ching site is 31.9 miles from the hospital in Park Rapids.
"The 35-mile rule does not take into account the difficulty of driving on rural Minnesota roads in the winter," said Oberstar. "Studies have shown that trauma victims who do not get to an emergency room within 30 minutes have higher mortality rates. Cass County residents deserve access to essential lifesaving emergency care."
John Warren, chair of the Cass County Critical Access Hospital Task Force, said without the waiver and the critical access hospital designation it provides the hospital project would not be financially feasible.
Warren said the success of the project literally depends on Congress. He said Oberstar came through for residents and now they are counting on the U.S. Senate.
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